Soil-tilling machine.



" L. E. soow.

SOIL TILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1911.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

x o 1;, PIII@ 0 0 0 Louis s 500W UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

LOUIS E. SCOW, 0F IORTAG'r LA PRAIRIE, MANITOBA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR 0FONE- FOURTI-I TOGEORGE CHARLES SCOW, ONE-FOURTH TO yTHOMAS ALFRED MONT#GOMERY, AND ONE-FOURTH TO THOMAS EDWARD MONTGOMERY, ALL 0F PORTAGE LLAPRAIRIE, CANADA.

SOIL-TILLING MACHINE.

d Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

To all 'whom 'it may concern.

Be it known that I, LOUIS E. Scow, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Portage La Prairie, in the Province vof Manitobaand Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements inSoil-Tilling Machines, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to soil tilling machines of that class which aresometimes known as rotary plows.

The invention has for its object to produce a device of this characterincluding a rotary drum equipped with knives or blades that engage thesoil and which coact with an approximately horizontally disposed bladethat cuts under the soil, thereby digging, stirring and agitatingthesoil and cutting weeds, stalks and roots to prepare the soil for thereception of seed.

A further object of the invention isy to construct a machine of thecharacter described adapted to operate especially upon summer fallowland to prepare the same for the reception of seed in an expeditiousmanner and without the expenditure of heavy labor. y

A further object of the invention is to construct a machine of thecharacter described in which the parts may be readily adapted to engagethe soil at the desired depth and in which simple and efficient meansare provided to effect the desired regulation.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement andV combination 0f partswhich` will be hereinafter fully Vdescribed and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredyform of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitationis necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,but that changes, alterations. and'modifications within the scope of theclaims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine constructed inaccordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view takenon the line 2;-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken onmaterials is equipped with a plurality the line 3-3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isa top plan view. illustrating a modified form of the invention. Fig. 5is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5 5 ink Fig. 4. Fig. 6 isa detail plan view showing a further modication.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by likecharacters of reference.

The frame of the machine includes front and rear beams 1 and 2 and endbeams 3, 3, said frame being of rectangular shape and suitablyconstructed of wood or metal. The end beams are provided with Aspindles4 upon which the carrying wheels 5A are sup ported for rotation. Underthe construction shown in the drawings the frame is provided with acenter bar 6 connecting the front and rear beams, this being necessary1n order to support the two drums D, D with which the machine isequipped. It will be understood, however, that within the scope of theinvention a machine may be constructed with a single drum in which eventthe center bar 6 will'be dispensed with. It will also befunderstood thatby properly modifying the construction of the frame additional drums maybe used if desired.

The frame is equipped with suitable means for the attachment of draft,said means having been shown as including tongues 7, 7 and a-fourhorseequalizer 8, but it is obvious that the draft means may be modifiedaccording to the necessities of the case.

Each of the drums D is supported upon a shaft or axle9 having terminalcranks 10 which are pivotally connected with `the frame, thus enablingthe shaft or axle carrying the drum to be raised or lowered by means ofa lever 11 which is suitably connected therewith7 such lever beingwithin convenient reach of the operator forl whom a seat 12 is provided.e

The drum D, which may be suitably constructed of wood, metal or othermaterial` or of radially disposed knives or cutting blades 13 which aresuitably spaced apart and which are adapted to dig into thesoil as thedrum rotates by engagement with the ground. Pivotally mounted upon theshaft or axle 10 adjacent to the ends of the drumare arms 14 carrying attheir lower ends a knife or blade 15 which is approximately horizontallydisposed and which may be slightly curved or concaved so as to beengaged or swept by the blades or cutters 13 of the drum when the latterrotates. The upper ends of the arms 14 may be provided with set screws15n bearing upon the rear sides of the cranks 10, thereby permitting theknife carrying arms 14 to be adjusted at various angles with referenceto the cranks, thereby enabling the blade 15 carried by the arms 14 tobe adjusted to the most advantageous position to coperate with theknives 13 carried by the drum in various positions at which the lattermay be adjusted by means of the lever 11.

It will be readily seen from the foregoing description that by properlymanipulating the lever 11, the drum may be raised to a position abovethe ground for transporting the machine.

In operation the drum is lowered to the desired depth,'and theblade-carrying arms 14 are likewise adjusted to cause the blade 15 toengage the soil at the desired depth. lhen the machine is drawn over thefield, the drum or drums will be rotated by engagement with the soil;the blade 15 will cut below the soil, thereby severing the roots ofweeds and stalks, while the knives 13 will dig into the soil, choppingthe weeds and stalks and breaking` and loosening the soil as it movesrearward over the blade 15, the blades 15 and 13 coact-ing in such amanner that roots and the like will be effectively cut and chopped. Itis also evident that the soil will be effectively broken up andloosened.

Under the modified construction of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4and 5, the main carrying frame composed of the members l, 2, 3 and 6supports auxiliary frames F which are hingedly connected with oradjacent to the front beam 1, each auxiliary frame being equipped with ashaft or axle 9 upon which a drum D is supported for rotation. In thisform of the invention the arms 10 carrying the blade 15 are pivotallymounted upon the frame F by pivotal members 17, and said arms may beadjusted at various angles by means of braces 1S adjustably connectedtherewith. For the adjustment of the frames F carrying the drum D',suitable means including a lever 11 will be provided. It will be readilyseen that by this construction the knife carrying drum and the bladecarrying arms may be adjusted substantially in the same manner and withthe same result as is obtained by the construction shown in Figs. 1 to3, inclusive.

In Fig. 6 a drum D has been shown as being supported for rotation upon acrank 30 of an axle 31, and the supporting wheel 32 is shown as havingan internal gear 33. Supported for rotation upon the frame is a shaft 34carrying a sprocket wheel 35 which may be connected for rotation withsaid shaft by means of a clutch 36 with which it may be thrown intoengagement by means of a shipping lever 37 which is suitably connectedwith an operating rod 38. The sprocket wheel 35 is connected by a chain39 with a sprocket wheel 40 upon the axle of the machine. It will beseen that by connecting the sprocket wheel 35 for rotation with itssupporting shaft, motion will bertransmitted from the internal gear 33to the axle 31, thereby partly rotating the latter to elevate the drum Dwhich is carried upon the crank 30.

The improved machine may be constructed at a moderate expense, and ithas been found that with the draft of four horses a strip of land aboutten feet wide may be effectively operated upon, .thereby making the costof tilling much less than when ordinary plowing is resorted to.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a machine of the character described, a main frame, rotarysupporting means for the same, a drum having a plurality of radiallydisposed blades extending longitudinally thereof, means for supportingsaid drum for rotation and for vertical adjustment with reference to themain frame, arms associated with the supporting means of the drum, ablade carried by the said arms in parallel relation to the axis of thedrum, said blade being disposed approximately at right angles to theblades carried by the drum and means for adjusting the blade carryingarms independently of the adjustment of the drum and for retaining saidarms in adjusted position.

2. In a machine of the character described, a main frame, rotarysupporting means for the same, a drum having radially disposed blades,means for supporting said drum for rotation and for vert-ical adjustmentwith reference to the main frame, a ground engaging blade supported inparallel relation to the axis of the drum and associated with the latterfor vertical adjustment, means for effecting vertical adjustment of theblade independently of the adjustment of the drum, and means forsupporting said blade in a position where its upper face will be clearedby the edges of the blades carried by the drum when the latter rotates.

3. In a machine of the character described, a main frame, rotarysupporting means for the same, a drum having radially extending blades,means for supporting said drum for rotation and for vertical adjustmentwith relation to the main frame, a ground engaging blade having acutting edge coacting with the cutting edges of the blades associatedwith the drum, and means associated with the supporting means of thedrinn for adjusting the ground engaging blade independently of thevertical adjustment of the drum and for supporting said ground engagingblade tiltably and adjustabl 45., In a machine of the character de*scribed, a main frame, a rotary supporting means for the same, avertically adjustable drum having radially extending blades, armspivotally associated with the supporting means of the drum, means fortilting said arms independently of the adjustmentv LOUIS E. SGOW.

Vitnesses I J. A. SHEARER, B. W. FISHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner ofPatents.

Washington, D. C.

